Are these mites?&Are these springtails macro pics

23184 Views 84 Replies 14 Participants Last post by Ed, Dec 18, 2011

DragonSpirit1185

Discussion Starter · Dec 8, 2011 (Edited)

9

I was looking at the springtails in my viv then I noticed what seemed to be tiny spiders crawling around and when i got a closer looked the first thing that came to mind was mites.
these guys are amber colored and are dark at the head and loose there color as you look down them.
here is some macro pics...the best I could get out of my dad's camera..

macro pics of the mites I zoomed in on lol, you can also see the springs in question.

here is a really good one I messed with paint and zoomed in then screen shot it lol.

if they are mites are the predator mites and do I need to get rid of them.
idk how I got them or where they cam from but they have just showed up

I'm pretty sure these are springtails(99.99%).....just wanted to post some pics of them and see what if thought others thought they were too.
I have posted another thread about these lil guys but until now I have never had such good pics.
I know they are local and they hitch hiked on some plants from Lowes.
here are some pics of me messing around with paint and zooming in on the macro pics....

they look white but really they are like a dull silver...metallic gray?lol
gray or silver springtails maybe?

thanks for your help

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NVfrogger

· #2 · Dec 8, 2011

yes the little tan looking bugs are mites.

DragonSpirit1185

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 8, 2011

NVfrogger said:
yes the little tan looking bugs are mites.

Are they bad or good lol?
I know some mites are ok and some are predator mites...which aren't good
They just showed up out of no where and they don't seem to be harming the springtails or anything.
Would they be an endagerment to frogs?

NVfrogger

· #4 · Dec 8, 2011

Those I believe if my entomology is correct are grain mites they are eating the food you put in your springtails so they will not harm the springtails. I believe the bad mites that harm the springtails are more cream colored. I had some mites in a springtail culture I let the food source run out for about a week or two and then started re feeding and the mites were gone. If your feeding mushrooms, fish flake, or grain products you have a better chance of getting grain mites. Someone correct me if I am wrong. I feed my springs mushrooms and have not seen mites as of yet. I have them on mite paper but many people feed active yeast and have no mite problems.

Reactions: 1

DragonSpirit1185

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 8, 2011

NVfrogger said:
Those I believe if my entomology is correct are grain mites they are eating the food you put in your springtails so they will not harm the springtails. I believe the bad mites that harm the springtails are more cream colored. I had some mites in a springtail culture I let the food source run out for about a week or two and then started re feeding and the mites were gone. If your feeding mushrooms, fish flake, or grain products you have a better chance of getting grain mites. Someone correct me if I am wrong. I feed my springs mushrooms and have not seen mites as of yet. I have them on mite paper but many people feed active yeast and have no mite problems.

well these are in my viv...
those springtails hitchhiked on some plants from Lowes and the mites just showed up or maybe they have been there but I just never noticed.
I only put yeast in there to try to feed the springs that are in the viv.
I was using mushroom but I was have a fungal gnat issue so I stopped using mushrooms.

the persimilis aka spider mite looks like it...yet I haven't seen these guys develop any webs

NVfrogger

· #6 · Dec 8, 2011

ah ok well they looked real close to grain mites to me I do have mites in one of my vivs that has no inhabitants but iso's and springtails they look very similar to what yours look like and I have my own grown plants in there. Most people will say that you will see mites in your viv's from time to time I have seen mites in all my viv's here and there great frog food, when my frogs see them they eat them right away.

DragonSpirit1185

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 8, 2011

NVfrogger said:
ah ok well they looked real close to grain mites to me I do have mites in one of my vivs that has no inhabitants but iso's and springtails they look very similar to what yours look like and I have my own grown plants in there. Most people will say that you will see mites in your viv's from time to time I have seen mites in all my viv's here and there great frog food, when my frogs see them they eat them right away.

yeah I'm just hoping they aren't harmful.
As long as they pose no threat they can stay but idk where they really came from. I haven't put any new plants in or anything the only thing I did was put a piece of charcoal with some yeast on it in there.

jbherpin

· #8 · Dec 9, 2011

I may be an absolute idiot, but it looked like a tick to me. Did you use wild harvested mosses, etc? The only way things just show up in vivs, is when we introduce them, whether intentional or not.

JBear

DragonSpirit1185

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 9, 2011 (Edited)

jbherpin said:
I may be an absolute idiot, but it looked like a tick to me. Did you use wild harvested mosses, etc? The only way things just show up in vivs, is when we introduce them, whether intentional or not.

JBear

meh I used live moss in there from PetSmart but it has been gone for a while.
I have had experiences with ticks and they are much harder and darker.
idk where they came from but the moss is long gone and I haven't noticed the new bugs until this past week.

I know the springs were tracked in from Lowes plants

Reactions: 1

jbherpin

· #10 · Dec 9, 2011

Mites or not, if they dominate the microfauna landscape, and the frogs aren't preying on them, I would be concerned. If the frogs are consuming them, and the numbers don't get too high, I would allow them to cycle in and be a contributor to the microfauna. When the mites become prevelant, I would truly consider a tear down.

JBear

DragonSpirit1185

Discussion Starter · #11 · Dec 9, 2011

jbherpin said:
Mites or not, if they dominate the microfauna landscape, and the frogs aren't preying on them, I would be concerned. If the frogs are consuming them, and the numbers don't get too high, I would allow them to cycle in and be a contributor to the microfauna. When the mites become prevelant, I would truly consider a tear down.

JBear

what about bombing?
and what all does a tear down entail? from scratch? or just replace the substrate and stuff.

I'm thinking about trying a few bombing things and removing some of those springs so I can culture them. since they are different and whatnot

jbherpin

· #12 · Dec 9, 2011

DragonSpirit1185 said:
what about bombing?
and what all does a tear down entail? from scratch? or just replace the substrate and stuff.

I'm thinking about trying a few bombing things and removing some of those springs so I can culture them. since they are different and whatnot

Bombing is indicative of you have a real problem. If that is not the case, and not too much $ was invested, maybe a start from scratch mentality would serve well. Like I said, if the viv has you in the hole, and the mites are running the show, maybe a bombing is in order, but, I would avoid thta if at all possible.

JBear

DragonSpirit1185

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 9, 2011

jbherpin said:
Bombing is indicative of you have a real problem. If that is not the case, and not too much $ was invested, maybe a start from scratch mentality would serve well. Like I said, if the viv has you in the hole, and the mites are running the show, maybe a bombing is in order, but, I would avoid thta if at all possible.

JBear

why avoid bombing?
A tear down is just gonna ruin it all and I don't have the $ or materials to rebuild

james67

· #14 · Dec 9, 2011

they are mites.
they are not spider mites.

they are considered a nuisance.
Co2 bombing will almost certainly not kill them as the gas will not penetrate deep enough into the soil to kill them.

james

Reactions: 1

jbherpin

· #15 · Dec 9, 2011

jbherpin said:
Bombing is indicative of you have a real problem. If that is not the case, and not too much $ was invested, maybe a start from scratch mentality would serve well. Like I said, if the viv has you in the hole, and the mites are running the show, maybe a bombing is in order, but, I would avoid thta if at all possible.

JBear

DragonSpirit1185 said:
why avoid bombing?
A tear down is just gonna ruin it all and I don't have the $ or materials to rebuild

This was my point...

JBear

jbherpin

· #16 · Dec 9, 2011

I would rather rebuild at a loss than bomb.

JBear

alije

· #17 · Dec 9, 2011

Hay, how many legs this bugs have? Mites have 8 legs, insects have 6. In that picture i only see 6 legs.
(grain mite: ID Stored Wheat Insects)

Alije

Reactions: 1

jbherpin

· #18 · Dec 9, 2011

alije said:
Hay, how many legs this bugs have? Mites have 8 legs, insects have 6. In that picture i only see 6 legs.
(grain mite: ID Stored Wheat Insects)

Alije

Which is why I said Tick.

JBear

james67

· #19 · Dec 9, 2011 (Edited)

hmm brandon goes offline and alije makes their first post....

anyway, the mites tend to hold the front 2 limbs forward (look at other pics online) so at that angle and resolution it would be difficult to detect them.

james

jbherpin

· #20 · Dec 9, 2011

james67 said:
hmm brandon goes offline and alije makes their first post....
anyway, the mites tend to hold the front 2 limbs forward very close to the antennae (look at other pics online) so at that angle and resolution it would be difficult to detect them.

james

I will hold my breath and see how this plays out...

JBear

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